katrina and rita in 2005. ike in 2008. but the people knew those storms were coming. >> the minute it hit the gulf, we went into high gear, but we were prepared to get into high gear. we were able to do that because of the satellites, because of the communication, and because of the warnings we got. >> we could be without power for as much as seven to ten days. >> the same warnings that came as superstorm sandy raced up the coastline. >> people across the eastern seaboard, midatlantic, you need to take this very seriously. >> but history might have told a very different story. just a month before sandy, one of those key g.o.e.s. satellites that monitors the atlantic and caribbean where sandy was born went down. >> there was enough uncertainty while we're still in hurricane season that we took the precautionary measure to move the other satellite over. >> perhaps, some experts say, a foreshadowing. dr. kevin trenberth of the national center for atmospheric research says noaa got lucky they had a back-up satellite standing b